The present invention relates to the transport of freight by railroad and, more particularly, to a rail car with a rotatable loading floor pivotally mounted to it for the quick loading and unloading of vehicles which can be rolled onto and off of the loading floor from a station platform located adjacent the side of the rail car.
Various approaches have been utilized to facilitate the transfer of loads, such as vehicles, between rail cars and station platforms. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,064 a rotatable loading floor is pivotally mounted onto the chassis of a rail car. However, because at least a portion of the loading floor is positioned below the height level of the station platform when the rail car chassis is at its normal height, a lifting system must be used to raise the chassis to a height at which the loading floor clears the station platform so that it can freely rotate to its operative position. The lifting system adds to the cost and complexity of the rail car. Furthermore, the loading and unloading operations at the station are slowed down by the need to raise and lower the chassis.